Like many dads, you probably want your kids to experience all the fun and excitement that comes with playing sports. Again, like many dads, you may have found that your kid isn’t taking to sports quite as enthusiastically as you would have liked. In the majority of cases, this is simply down to your kid not finding the sport that’s right for them. If you can tell that they’re not all that into swimming lengths or playing five-a-side soccer, here are six more unconventional sports to consider.

Bossaball

(Image: Wikimedia)

If you can find somewhere with all the equipment needed for a bossaball game, you can be pretty much certain that your kid will be the first of their friends to try it. Remember to mention that when you’re trying to tear them away from their video games! The court is inflatable, utilizes trampolines, and the game itself combines elements of volleyball, soccer, and capoeira (yes that Brazilian martial art/dance thing). As you can imagine, there are very few people who take this sport seriously, but you’ll know when you see one of them! Bossaball is all about bounding into the air, trying your hand at gymnastic maneuvers, and falling into hysterics when everyone gets it wrong!

Bubble Soccer

Known as Loopyball in Germany, this highly unconventional sport is quickly growing in popularity in Europe, and is set to cross the Atlantic in a big way! A hilarious hybrid between zorbing and soccer, all the players wear bubble soccer suits, which are essentially smaller zorbs which leaves the player’s legs free to maneuver. The objective, like in conventional soccer, is to get the ball into the opposing team’s net while defending your own. The main difference is that the zorb you’re wearing is meant to be used to rush haphazardly into your opponents and knock them down!

Chess-boxing

(Image: Wikimedia)

The clue’s in the name here! Like countless other fathers, you may be in a constant battle with your son to get them off of their video games and onto a court or field of some description. If your kid seems more interested in exercising their brain more than their body, this certainly isn’t a bad thing. However, we all need to get our bodies moving from time to time, so chess-boxing may be the perfect middle ground. As you’ve probably worked out by now, chess-boxing is essentially boxing, except that the rounds are interspersed with sessions of chess. The victor is decided by knockout, checkmate, or points if the match gets to the end of the rounds.

Basque Pelota

When you first see a basque pelota team in all their gear, you may be tempted to have a little chuckle. Don’t be fooled though! This unconventional sport is certainly not for the faint-hearted. This game involves a large rubber ball, which is hurled using large, curved “basket gloves”. It’s played on a two-walled court between an even number of players, and the teams are separated by a net. The aim is similar to other court sports; just serve with too much speed and spin for your opponent to return. If your kid is particularly young or hates contact sports, you may want to give this a miss. Getting the rubber ball at high speed to the legs or in fact the basket glove isn’t fun!

Cycle Polo

(Image: Wikimedia)

Another one that’s pretty self-explanatory. Polo is called the “sport of kings”, because only the wealthy can afford their own horse with which to play it. Cycle polo gets rid of that barrier, by swapping out the big, expensive animals for smaller, but still kind of expensive, bikes! You’ll get all the rush and excitement of polo, without having to know anything about horse riding. Having said that, it takes a lot of coordination and experience on a push-bike.

Street Luge

This one is for the kids who are much more interested in watching snowboarding, in-line skating and skydiving videos than more traditional sports. In this sport, you lie down on a specially designed board resembling a large skateboard, find a safe course, and tear down the road with your precious gluteus maximus mere inches away from the tarmac. Again, this isn’t for the faint hearted, and good coordination is essential. However, if you can afford the gear, street luge could be a fantastic sporting outlet for your kid to try.

If you’ve spent way too long waiting in vain for your kids to get into a sport, it may be time to think outside the box!